|
We will miss him greatly because no other guy was as
envisioned as he when it came to cooking up trendy ideas
that really work for foodies. I wish I knew him better.
IT was a
sad day last week when we all heard about the sudden
passing of Larry J. Cruz, better known as LJC in the
restaurant circuit. Chef Ed Quimson startled me with his
call about the news, which I relayed to Ethel Timbol,
Christine Dayrit, Tet Andolong and Mike Mina, as we were
all together in Ilocos Norte that time. Even before
Larry’s remains were flown back home from the US, a host
of foodies, restaurateurs, lifestyle writers and
colleagues in journalism had already given tribute to
the “King” of theme restaurants and trendy events that
had to do with culinary lifestyles and more. Many facets
of Larry’s life reflect the good life and, certainly, he
was the persona of one such.
On the
restaurant business side, Larry seemed to enjoy
conceptualizing new themes for cafés, bistros and
restaurants; perhaps that’s why he opened a lot of them
with interesting themes that went with the times—or,
rather, his projects set the trends for the times. It
was he who brought back the romance of the Chocolate Eh
and wittingly gave a face-off with the disgraceful
Chocolate Ah. He also popularized the Green Mango shake,
the wobbly Pata Tim and the Crispy Pata, which he
renamed Knock-Out Knuckles, the Crispy Tadyang, the fat
Palos (eels) in a fat sauce...retooled dishes and
specialties from his travels, recipes from his foodie
friends and from the surf-and-turf of his province’s
cuisine (Pampanga). He raised these up a notch and gave
these the Larry touch.
I wish I
knew him better and picked his mind about the good
things in a foodie’s life, for he truly and completely
inhabited that persona. For all that’s been written
about him in the past few days by people close to him, I
can only add that when Café Adriatico was just starting
on Remedios Circle, I got to interview him upon the
assignment of Thelma San Juan. He was so proud of the
blueberry cheesecake that had not been heard of by the
café crowd until he introduced it. But he was more proud
that it was daughter Lorna Ambas who baked it. There and
then, I saw in Larry not just the emerging “godfather”
of the café society but a softie as a dad.
As a
doting son to “Amba,” more popularly known as “Abe,” the
repartee of father and son (both über-witty men) was
worth writing about, inspiring good copy for an article
or a book or a script. Perhaps Larry got a lot of his
father’s élan but he greatly shared his father’s
companionship with friends, connecting two generations
of writers and café habitués. Larry as a doting friend
was something I was privileged to observe when I paid a
visit to Adrian Cristobal the night before he was due
for an operation. Adrian’s whole family was in the
hospital room, while a waiter plus Larry’s Chef
Manansala were laying down platters and chafers of
Adrian’s favorite “Abe” dishes, such as kare-kare. Larry’s
treat for his friend
Adrian
was touching, moreso because Larry himself was also due
for an operation in a few days. Well, they’re all
together now, and Larry might just as well redo or
reinvent or re-tool the Pearly Gates.
We will
miss him greatly because no other guy was as envisioned
as he was when it came to new ideas that really worked
for foodies. But Larry’s presence and those of his
parents, Abe and Fely J, are permanently imprinted in
the restaurants he created and named after them. In the
ambiance and in how he named some of the dishes on the
menus—such as “Claude’s Dream” for Claude Tayag—Larry’s
wonderful ideas and creations will persist to exist.
That’s why the Larry Cruz magic will never die down.
Nancy’s Notes
1. We
skipped the recipe for today to pay tribute to Larry
Cruz—the ultimate 100-percent foodie of this time.
2. If
you’re still into celebrating Valentine’s Day, get a
bottle of red wine that is so apropos for the day and
it’s called RED. Yup, RED is a hearty, full-bodied red
wine. It is distributed by Happy Living and available in
delis, gourmet shops and supers.
3. RED
is a 2002 vintage from
Sonoma,
California,
bottled by St. Francis Winery, a good blend of Merlot,
Zinfandel, Grenache and Sangiovese—in that order. It has
a full body with luscious fruity flavors to go well with
steaks or roast beef. Try calling Happy Living Phils. at
895-6507 or 895-6508, and you can get a good price for
it. Retail price ranges from P700 to P900, depending on
where you buy it.
4. With
this, I toast you to the greatest love of all! Happy
Payday/Valentine!!! |
